Thursday, March 17, 2011

Just imagine that I am hanging from a High Bar and have been able to hold my legs up in the “Pike” position, (curved like a U with feet higher than my head).
Now further imagine that I am able to rotate my legs from the hips, first to the right and then to the left, 15 times each side for a total of thirty rotations.
This is one of the “ab” exercises that Sparta has surfaced as a new challenge in the gym. (This same exercise was also featured in the movie, The Fighter)
I have to work on this one and basically become a gymnast.
I have started hanging from a high bar, raising my legs at the hip until my feet are above my head and then I try to hold this position for at least 15 seconds and try to repeat this 15 times.
This is a chunk of work and as of yet I remain unsuccessful.
The second new “ab” exercise is just as wicked.
Imagine lying on a bench with just the back of your head, neck and shoulders touching the bench while your body is at a 45 degree angle, suspended on a hope, a few fragile ligaments and mainly muscle.
The shoulders, neck and especially the upper “abs” all feel the pain in this exercise.
Supposedly, the local record for this exercise stands at 45 seconds.
This also requires one to become a gymnast.
The question, can you become a gymnast at age 46 (transposed 64).
I think, yes, Hell Yes.
It is interesting, the amount of pain one can endure, it is s lot more than anyone would expect and becoming a gymnast does require some pain.
I guess I have always wanted to be a gymnast and now I have the opportunity at 64 (transposed 46) or 8 which is the square root of 64 or 24 which is the product of multiplying 6 times 4.
Hell, who really needs to know the age at this point, once you have decided to get it done.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Spin Room is a circular room about 20 feet (give or take a few feet) in diameter.
It has at least a 9 foot ceiling.
There is a ceiling fan and three floor fans.
There are 12 bikes each placed about 2 to 3 feet apart.
The circumference of the room is 78 feet, (give or take a few feet), giving each bike a space of about 6 feet including the bike.
Volume of the room is calculated by the equation 4/3*Pi*r3.
The volume is approximately 4800 cubic feet.
The ambient room temperature at the beginning of class is 75 degrees, (give or take a few degrees), at the end of class the temperature approaches that of a South American Rain Forest, humidity and all.
I have never taken the actual temperature at he end of class but it is something I want to do.
I am sure the temperature is approaching "110" or maybe 89 degrees with 100% humidity.
It feels like late August in the swamps or Evansville.
Every article of clothing is soaked through and through.
If I was smart enough I could get some heat transfer equations and use the specific heat of air to calculate the average energy flow but this is beyond me.
Take it from me though, a lot of energy and heat transfer is occurring.
Twelve people burning anywhere from 12,000 to 15,000 calories in one hour in a closed box, it does get close and sometimes the odors are less than "White Shoulders".
But I will keep going back, where else can you go for a ride in a sauna, through a rain forest with great music and a leader who likes to ride up mountains.
"Steamed Spin" certainly beats "Hot Yoga" with fewer residual calories.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Someone said it tonight, to Sparta following a rather vigorous Spin Class, "I don't see how you keep doing this same "shit" day after day".
She was heading down to do a Power Pump class.
I interpreted the comment to say, "Wow, how do exercise hour after hour and keep going"?
The answer was quick, "Sitting behind a desk is harder and it kills much faster."
Great interchange, great discourse, great concise conversation.
It was all there, either use it or lose it, either try or die.
The real answer is movement, continuous, lots of it.
Stay still and the bad things overtake you.
Obviously this is an oversimplification but even in Genesis it states, "Thy shall earn thy keep by the sweat of thy brow".
No where does it say, "He who lives the sedentary life style shall find life everlasting".
So today in Boot Camp, at least 34 participants all eager to "kill" themselves for Sparta.
So who is relevant in all of this.
Everyone is relevant, all of the participants, all of the people looking in, wanting to join, (had a conversation at dinner with a gentleman), "I am trying to get to the point I can join Sparta's Boot Camp".
Sparta is relevant.
She is the reason all of these people are wanting to join.
I looked at her today as I was running my two laps, as I was hitting the mitts and I saw complete commitment to training, to improving the lot of we, the less fortunate.
She has some spectacular genes, I have no doubt of this, but if we could all follow her discipline, her program, genes or no genes, we would all be much richer in health and fitness.
Will we live longer, I don't know, don't care.
All I want now is to do what she is trying to teach.
Go hard or go home.
Don't waste time, she is giving us her best.